The Complexity of Climate Change

The clock is ticking

The latest report by the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change paints a grim picture of the near-term consequences of rising global temperatures. Without economic change to reduce carbon emissions on an unprecedented scale, the world risks intensifying coastal flooding, droughts, wildfires and food shortages within a generation, the scientific panel warns. The report underlines the urgency of adopting decisions to ensure full implementation of the Paris Agreement at the next UN climate change conference, COP24, in Poland in December.

We all need to adapt

If society is serious about heeding the scientists’ warnings, people will need to change their lifestyles; from eating less meat to swapping cars for bicycles. Attitudes and behaviours will have to adjust. And practically every sector of the economy will face wrenching changes, which we explore in our articles.

Heating, industry and transport will be under pressure to shift to carbon-neutral green gases. New technologies will enable smart cities to optimise everything from traffic management to garbage recycling. Regulators will have a key role to play in implementing carbon abatement and water usage schemes. But even if the technical solutions are at hand to arrest climate change, will voters and the politicians they elect be willing to embrace radical change?

Matthew Bell, Director in our Public Policy practice and former Chief Executive of the UK Committee on Climate Change, speaks about the difficulties societies face in balancing economic development while tackling climate change, and how businesses should be thinking about climate issues.

We will only succeed in tackling climate change if we’re able to tackle both greenhouse gas emissions while also ensuring rising standards of living around the world

Matthew Bell

Director, Public Policy

To maximise the reduction in greenhouse gas emissions that can be achieved by smart cities, policymakers will need to facilitate the timely roll-out of 5G.

Tom Ovington

Manager, Telecoms

Creating products that can be recycled is not much use if the systems are not in place to collect, reprocess and reuse them.